In a conventional exposure apparatus, when exposure processing is to be performed while directly connecting (in-line) the exposure apparatus to a substrate pre-process apparatus (e.g., a resist coating apparatus) and a substrate post-process apparatus (e.g., a development apparatus), the apparatuses are connected to each other through communication lines, and control signals for loading and unloading a substrate are exchanged using the communication lines. In Japanese Patent No. 2,877,998, a control signal for wafer transfer and a wafer process condition information signal are transmitted to an exposure apparatus using such communication lines, thereby improving the efficiency of communication with a host computer, and the like.
However, in a conventional exposure apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2,877,998, a control signal which controls loading and unloading of a substrate and exposure process conditions are only transmitted from a pre-process apparatus to the exposure apparatus. For this reason, a host computer or the user must directly issue control instructions that pertain to exposure processing operation such as an exposure preparation start instruction, an exposure preparation stop instruction, an exposure process standby instruction, an exposure process start instruction, an exposure process stop instruction, and the like, to an exposure apparatus.